Effects Of Xenia In The Iliad

The concept of guest hospitality is extremely important in ancient Greece. Hospitality, or Xenia, is so essential in Greek society that Zeus, in addition to being the king of the Gods, is also the God of travelers (Wikipedia). This created an obligation for the host to be hospitable to their guests, and conversely, the guests had their own responsibilities as well. If either the host or the guest was to break any rule set by Xenia, there would be severe penalties dealt by Zeus and also by society (Wikipedia). In The Odyssey, Xenia is a theme which is shown repeatedly throughout the book: Nestor and Menelaos take in Telemakhos warmly as a guest and Eumaios plays an excellent host to Odysseus, while Odysseus is disguised as a wandering

On the way to Troy, the Achaeans fought many smaller battles, raiding towns and taking whatever prizes they please. This act in itself seems greedy enough, but in the first three pages

The first book of the Iliad begins with the beginning of Achilles’ rage, the rage that will eventually cause his own people so much grief and is also the force for Homer’s version of the story of the Trojan War. Whereas the taking of Helen is the focus of the larger, traditional story, the feud between Agamemnon and the hero Achilles over a kidnapped girl defines the Iliad. Both feature a conflict over a woman, Helen and Chryses’ daughter, and a need for resolution as well as a breach of social contract: Paris steals the wife of Agamemnon, ruining the bonds of the guest relationship, while Agamemnon denies Chryse his right to ransom and invokes the wrath of the gods in the form of a plague. In both cases, however, it becomes clear that the conflict will not be resolved quickly, but will continue through the very heart of the story. By “singing of Achilles’ rage” from the first line, the narrator is clearly showing the audience that this Trojan war is not the war of Hector or Paris or Helen, but of the proud Achilles and his hero-sized enemy.

Why is Xenia such an important theme in the Odyssey? Explain your views and support them with details from the poem. (45 marks)

Hospitality is the idea that no one is unwelcome in your home; everyone is treated like an honored guest. In the Iliad, written by Homer, this practice is extremely important in the culture present, as it a reoccurring idea throughout the books. The characters in the Iliad are split between the Greeks and the Trojans, excluding the gods, all with their own separate interpersonal conflicts, all of which are greatly affected by hospitality. Hospitality in The Iliad is an important theme, whose importance is shown through the situations it shifts along with its affects on character development, that is either respected or ignored, both with dramatically different results.

Hospitality shaped Greek life. This unspoken code, highly valued in Greek society, established responsibilities for both guests and hosts. Demonstrating generosity and kindness, honorable hosts offered their guests extravagant feasts, luxurious baths, and lavish housing. In response, gracious guests showed courtesy and respect to their hosts by refraining from abusing the hospitality extended towards them. Hospitality reveals the moral character of both hosts and guests in the Homerian epic The Odyssey.

Homer’s epic, The Iliad, highlights the influence and jurisdiction that beauty provides. The prizes and glory a man accumulates from war measure his power, while beauty measures a woman’s power. Since conquering a woman is the ultimate prize to a man, her beauty represents ultimate power. Though the beauty of mortal women has the power to turn men against each other, mortal women have no influence over this power and are instead objectified by men. Immortal women, however, have authority over their beauty and are able to control men with their power. Helen, on the other hand, though mortal, has the beauty of a goddess. Yet, Helen is bound by her fate to Paris, making her power obsolete. By presenting Helen’s hopeless power and supplying the reader with insight on her suffering through her thoughts, Helen is portrayed as a tragic hero.

6. What does this bloody scene add to the epic’s theme about the value of hospitality and about what happens to people who mock divine laws? In ancient Greece the suitors have mocked the divine laws of hospitality and are being punished for not valuing same

Achilleus recognizes Lykaon, one of Priam’s many offspring, emerging naked from the river (21.27). He had captured Lykaon only twelve days prior and sold him into slavery, but he was ransomed. Unfortunately, he fell back into the hands of his captor. Lykaon, on his knees, begs Achilleus to spare his life, but he shows no mercy this time as he strikes Lykaon with his sword to avenge Patroklos’ death. He then desecrates Lykaon’s body by throwing it into the river, which carries his body to the sea where Achilleus insists he’ll be feasted on by fish (21.34-21.135). The gruesome act of slinging Lykaon’s body into the river and feeding it to the fish portrays the drastic change in Achilleus character.

Xenia is a Greek concept with a broad of meaning and a rather interesting history behind it. Xenia can easily be defined as guest-host reciprocity but that would not be enough to tell its history, enunciate it’s meaning and warn of the retribution that comes along with breaching of Xenia. Xenia is an institution as important as any other in the culture of a community, is empowered by the Greek god, Zeus, the protector of travellers. Along with the respect of the god, Zeus and fear of angering him by turning away a traveller, comes some cautionary tales told by the Greeks. These are tales of punishment that may be received and the rewards that may be lost if the traveller that is turned away is a god or goddess in disguise. Xenia is established by exchange of both material and non-material services and goods such as food, shelter and protection. Breeching of Xenia has played a very important role in history and myths of the Greeks. One of the most important is the Trojan War, which was caused when Paris breached the Xenia in the house of Menelaus and abducted his wife Helen. Paris ignored the mutualistic respect that is supposed to be observed between parties involved and he stole from his host

The Iliad opens in the predicament of the Greeks who have somehow incurred the wrath of the gods. It is here that Agamemnon, supreme commander of the Grecian army, demand that Achilles give up his “prize” (Briseis) to replace his own “prize” (Chrysies) which he has to give up to appease the gods. Agamemnon has to

After reading Homer’s text, we realize that while it contains fine poetic history it is in fact about the human condition and how it affects people, Achilles primarily. The reality for people in the world of The Iliad is that they live under many gods, and that they can not please all of them; indeed, the gods are at odds with each other and to support one means to upset another. While the ideal condition for the Greeks is to possess sophrosyne, in reality there are too many uncontrollable external pressures to do so. Just as the gods who influence men are not harmonious, therefore, we find this quality also in the explanation of the human condition for Greek cultures.

The classical hero is a timeless description of human beings all around the world. Not only is it part of some human’s nature; it is used as a source of entertainment for people as well. The classical hero is seen both in the Iliad, as we have discussed, and in today’s world every day and in most cases everywhere. Heroes are seen today in TV shows, novels, movies, sports, in politics, and on the news, etc. As an audience, we love to study the classical hero whether we’re watching something or reading a novel or story about one. It always seems to be exhilarating because it’s part of our nature. The story of the hero motivates individuals to want to be like that person and strive to help

First off, Homer's Iliad was the main source of influence for Wolfgang Petersen's film, Troy. However, even though it is directly influenced by the poem, Troy does not stay true to the poem for the entire movie. Some major difference's between Homer's Iliad and Wolfgang Petersen's film Troy, is that there was no mention of the Gods being participants in the battle of Troy. This was a major plot point in Homer's Iliad, as the Gods who fought on the battlefield had somewhat of an influence on the outcome of each battle and eventually the outcome of the war. By taking out the 'God' element that the original poem had, Wolfgang Petersen has given the film more room for human emotions. This allows themes like love to be much more emphasised than

It has long been a popular scholarly opinion that the Greeks in the Iliad were lovers of war and violence. The Greeks were most definitely primal beasts, and blood shedders, a fact made abundantly clear in the Iliad. However, I think that the Greeks were not lovers of war, furthermore I think this interpretation is shortsighted. The amount of violence in the Iliad seems to be evidence for their love of war, but the ancient world was primal and passionate, and these ancient beasts were not strangers to bloodshed and violence. Thus, I think the amount of violence in the Iliad does not perpetuate the Greeks love for war, but rather shows their